Kenner mayor's prayer breakfast speakers: faith in God is powerful

Faith in God can lead people through anything, from the death of a son in Afghanistan to a divorce caused by an obsession with work. That was the message of the two main speakers at Kenner Mayor Mike Yenni's annual prayer breakfast, held Wednesday morning at Chateau Golf & Country Club.

Jack Donahue

"I knew I had to change; I didn't like who I was," said state Sen. Jack Donahue, R-Covington, telling the audience how he found success early in his career but not in his marriage or religious life.

Donahue, board chairman of DonahueFavret Contractors Inc., graduated from Louisiana State University as an engineer and went into his family construction business.

"It didn't take me long to start running into some trouble," he said, explaining that his "burning desire was to be successful in business."

But he wasn't successful in his marriage and he got a divorce. He remarried 23 years ago to Maura Donahue, who represents Louisiana on the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

He got deep into Bible study and started thinking more about God, salvation and family and less about business. That helped him become a calmer person and businessman.

"I was able to look at things a little more rationally, not so emotionally," he said. "I literally became a new person."

Kenner resident Teresa Bovia spoke about her life during the 14 months since her son, Sgt. Joseph Bovia, was "deployed to Heaven."

Cpl. Tyler J. Hlavac, U.S. Marine CorpsLt. Col. Tim Ford presents the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal to Herbert and Teresa Bovia of Kenner, the parents of Sgt. Joseph Bovia, who was killed in action in Afghanistan on Aug. 31, 2010.

Her son was struck by enemy gunfire on Aug. 31, 2010, during his third tour of duty. He had been offered a safe desk job in California, but he chose to deploy with the Marines he trained. Before he made that decision, he asked for his mother's blessing.

"I had to give him my blessing because he wasn't mine," she said. "He belonged to the Lord."

As a sergeant, Joseph Bovia didn't have to be in the battlefield. "He put himself in a place of exposure," Teresa Bovia said. Her son was "where the Lord wanted him to be."

She said that it was her faith in God that allowed her to "put my feet on the floor in the morning."

She advised audience members to seek help from a higher power when faced with problems, from balancing a budget, making customers happy to getting good grades in school. "All of those are things that the Lord can handle," she said.

She said that even busy people can find time to talk with God, whether it be while they're alone in the shower or driving in the car. "Make it a priority," she said.

"Don't put too much worry into this place," she said. "We're only here for a little while."